Faux Pas
by Shadowfang3000
Summary: "Heart, don't be doing that now." - Setting camp in the dark forests of a new continent, Sieghart finds himself sharing a tent with the Grand Chase's latest member. With seven hours on the clock and no one to speak to, he decides that there's only one choice available to him to pass the time. (WARNING: Subtle Yaoi, nothing icky :P)


(A/N): Lord almighty, I don't even remember the last time I _played _Grand Chase, let alone wrote about it! D:

During the overly long author notes of my previous fic, I discussed the concept of how spontaneous fics tend to be the easiest to write. With that in mind, this idea for a fic was thought up of on the spot literally three hours before I started typing!

Now, as some may know I've had kind of an awkward experience in the past when it comes to slash writing. Sometimes I strike gold, but for the most part what I produce is kinda peculiar. With that in mind I've decided to take a brief step away from yuri fanfics, and moved on to the dark depths of yaoi! (Thankfully having a yaoi obsessed sister during my youth has trained me here :P)

This fic'll feature my favourite character with one of my least favourites actually: Sieghart and Dio. The two are the eldest members of the Grand Chase after all, and it only seems right that the rivals come together in an adorable yaoi scene eh?

Let's hope I don't balls this up again.

Just one final note: I'm aware that there's been a mega shake-up of the story canon behind Grand Chase, but I need you to consider that I played the game between 2008 to 2011. My portrayals of the cast are thus based on the fan perception back then… Although to be honest, I doubt much has changed in that regard :3

Warning: Spelling errors, OOC characters, yaoi content, a tarty Amy, a tsun-tsun Dio(!?), Amy X Jin seems to be pretty prevalent, and a complete butchery of established Grand Chase canon (As if it hadn't been butchered already, BAM!)

**Faux Pas**

It'd probably been three hours since the skirmish had finished, but to be brutally honest the Highlander had started losing track of time. Maybe it was a side effect of living for more than half a millennia, but it seemed that each passing day was going faster and faster. What felt like three hours to him could've been anything from two to three _days _for his compatriots. Clenching his truest companion – the Soluna blade – in a single balled fist, he surveyed the carnage that the Grand Chase had left in its wake.

_There were a lot of bodies._

He was well adjusted to the sights and smells of the aftermath to a battle, but that didn't mean he actively enjoyed the view. Corpses and trembling monsters clinging to their last breaths lay in heaps and piles stacked from one to five carcasses tall. They would let the stragglers escape if they could; as for those who couldn't?

_To the flames with them._

Smoke billowed through the forest canopy, swirling and dancing elegantly in the deep orange of the falling sun. The party had made little progress through the foliage labyrinth today and needed to set up camp.

"You gonna give us a hand with this, Sieghart?" A thickly-accented voice grumbled, the origin of the tone bearing a collection of tent pegs in his hand. The red-headed man crossed his arms, glaring at the Highlander before him. He spared a glance at the corpses, and looked visibly shaken for the briefest of moments. "Come on now, you've been hanging around here for too long."

Sieghart snorted comically, swinging his vastly oversized blade over his shoulder and marching towards his old friend. The Silver Knight Jin had been his companion through many a conflict, and as much as he'd hate to admit it he was right for once. Sieghart snatched a few pegs from his companion's grasp, not bothering to stop and continuing his steps. "Double time."

They wandered in unison to a clearing separate from the mass of bodies, and suddenly the thick aura of angst and despair melted away in favour of a homely warmth. It was peculiar how they could be so close to pain and misery, yet feel nothing but joy and tranquility. A campfire roared proudly, atop it a steaming pot filled with numerous exotic spices and vegetables. Soup wasn't exactly his forte, but with a stomache as empty as his he'd eat _anything._

"All of this in _three_ hours." Sieghart sighed in awe, spying expertly crafted logs smoothed for use as benches around the inferno. Jin chuckled to himself in pride, hastening his pace and making for a disassembled tent cover parallel to a completed sibling. "You did all of this?"

"Well, I don't mean to brag…" Jin grinned, no doubt _meaning _to brag to fuel his ego. Jin was a respectful young man, so it only made sense to give him some praise every now and then. The Silver Knight gestured at the duo of figures that circled the fire – a rose-haired temptress and a pale, lanky and ebony horned warrior from realms beyond. "Amy helped a lot actually." He admitted, prompting the dancing girl to raise her hand. Jin briefly glanced at the other figure, only to lower his gaze and return to setting up the final tent. "And Dio…"

Sieghart looked at the offending man, yet he didn't even seem to flinch at the mentioning of his name. He simply sat in place, staring at the burning embers of the dying fire. Sieghart rolled his tongue, maintaining his impolite stare as he knelt by Jin's side. "And Dio...?"

After an awkward silence, Jin pulled out a puny looking wooden mallet and smashed in the first peg, Elven wood may have looked timid and frail, yet the hard surface could withstand anything lesser than a thorough wailing from a forest troll. The Silver Knight finally turned to face Sieghart, tearing the older man's attention from Dio. "… He didn't get in the way?"

Taking that answer as an acceptable place to end the conversation, the two continued their work. Dio himself wasn't a man of the same realm as his companions; a man of the Burning Canyon according to the highest scribes of Kanavan. The Chase was rather sceptical about accepting him into the brimming ranks of the elite unit, yet he was a skilled warrior and was loyal to the cause – that was enough for Sieghart.

_He could take him on if things got rough._

Dio generally kept to himself. He followed his orders to the letter and got the job done, then fell back to sit by himself in peace and quiet. Now stuck in foreign territory, for the first time the reclusive man had been forced into a situation not entirely familiar to him. Dio briefly tore his gaze from the fire to gesture to Amy, who gleefully handed him a bowl of her simmering soup.

_That was probably his first movement since the skirmish had ended, mind you._

Thankfully Jin and Sieghart were the sort of working duo with a single brain between them. What would've taken a fair share of time was halved by their efficient building system, the task of setting up the military issue tent going by like a jolly day at the beach. Sieghart dusted his palms as he rose, longing to have his supper.

"I'd say we've got another half-hour until nightfall." He estimated, prompting a grumble of agreement from his counterpart. The two flopped onto the campfire benches unceremoniously; steaming bowls sat before them untouched. Sieghart hovered his palms over the home-made soup, prompting an irritated glare from the chef behind the masterpiece.

"Something tells me you're just _stalling_ for time." Amy growled, folding her arms. Three empty bowls of the concoction sat by her feet, practically stacked to her knees. The Highlander had often wondered how the bubbly young girl could eat so much food yet keep her slim, seductive form. In contrast Dio still seemed to be taking formal, considered sips from his own bowl; the politeness of a noble if Sieghart's instincts were correct. Amy rose to her feet, the tower of china wobbling in protest. "Well? Go on, eat up! Dio likes it."

"Well, that makes one of us." Sieghart snickered, tentatively wrapping his palms around the boiling bowl. He could've sworn that the strange liquid within was communicating with him through gurgles and bubbles, but he swiftly silenced such fearful thoughts. Jin seemed to be having the same disturbed thoughts as him, and he usually _liked _Amy's cooking.

_Well, he "liked" her at least._

After stirring the questionable foodstuff and checking for the fourth time if his spoon had melted, Jin tilted his head and glanced at the silent man across fire. "How does it taste, Dio?"

Dio didn't respond, and simply continued to stare aimlessly into the cinder and charcoal of the dwindling light between them. The more talkative members of the Chase present - that being everyone except him - promptly glanced at him with varying degrees of confusion and irritance.

"Dio?" Jin repeated, sounding surprisingly concerned for the man's well-being. Being the last of the Silver Knights, it was probably natural for him to value the condition of his comrades dearly. "You okay there?"

"_Dio_." Sieghart finally growled firmly, his veteran glare shattering the shroud of silence that Dio had crafted. The silent man tipped his chin up in a swift flinch, as if only just noticing the three people before him. His face blank yet his emotion clear, Dio nervously glanced from his bowl, to his companion's faces, to Sieghart's eyes and to his bowl once more, before finally settling his stare on Jin's meal.

"... Okay." He muttered.

Realising that this was the best he'd get out of him, Jin daringly took a sip of his thick soup. Amy's face conveyed at least four different shades of joy as the red-headed warrior ate the fruits of her labour. Sieghart had already been put off by the colour of the slop, but it certainly didn't help matters when Jin started _chewing _the liquid somehow.

"There, there! It's just a little strong, that's all!" She reassured, patting Jin's broad shoulders as he sputtered painfully. He did his best to give her a thumbs up, but his arm quickly contorted and he returned to hacking his guts up. Amy giggled; his pain forgotten even at such close proximity. "Don't be such a cry baby now, Jin!"

Eventually Sieghart settled with using Jin's scrape with death as a distraction to toss the contents of his bowl into the campfire. Dio watched on curiously as the inferno suddenly blazed outwards, as if launching itself at the soup with the intent to rid it from its mortal shell. If the purple mist that swirled out from the dancing flames wasn't evidence enough, there was a lot more in the meal than previously indicated.

_He could smell moonshine and petrol, although that could've just been his imagination._

While the energetic couple continued their babbling, the other half of the party sat in total quiet. The campfire rapidly began to crumble as the darkness of night seized the land. Low cast shadows stretched into infinity, until suddenly they merged and covered the forest clearing in black. Amy shuddered from the sudden stab of cold; her clothing wasn't suited for this sort of climate. As Sieghart moved to discuss the plan of action with his colleagues, Dio slipped by and opened the flap to a tent.

_Gave stealth a bad name._

As the thick fabric fell motionless, Jin nudged the Highlander with a jab of his elbow. "... I really don't like that guy." He began, tilting his head in the direction of Dio's tent. "Around him, I can't help but feel something..."

"Arrogant." Amy suddenly cut in, taking brief pauses between shivers as she hopped on the spot on her tiny legs. Her breath began casting orbs of snow white mist outwards, punctuating her words. "He's _really_ arrogant, I can tell. Rich boys are all like that."

"Oi." Sieghart growled, speaking in the tone someone would use whilst confronting their snobbish next-door neighbour over a borrowed horse and carriage. "You do realise _I'm_ a noble?"

"I rest my case." She chuckled triumphantly, blowing a rebellious raspberry at her commanding officer. With no counter argument to sling back at her, he simply pointed his nose-picker at her in a warning gesture before turning back to Jin.

"Well, _I'm_ not sharing a tent with him." Sieghart declared, pointing his thumb at his chest as if to remind his compatriots that he was their superior. "I've spent _six-hundred years_ sharing tents with people, so I think I have a _bit_ of a right to choice."

His unfaltering stare turned to Amy, who quickly leapt to Jin's arm with her vulnerable facade in place. "Surely you can't leave a poor, kind, innocent young lady on her lonesome?"

"Kind?" The Highlander repeated, raising an eyebrow. "I don't recall ever meeting this woman, is she new?"

The temptress let that one slide, turning her head to teasingly nuzzle the shoulder of the young man she was coiled with. His reddened cheeks matched his burning hair, the feeling of flesh-on-flesh being something he'd never really experienced before. Amy cooed in her adorable voice, stirring the Silver Knight from his self-induced trance."Jin?"

After a moment he shook his thoughts back into their realm, subconsciously clutching onto Amy's arm as he spoke. "... Oh. I... Well, I-I promised that I'd keep Amy safe so uhhh..."

Sieghart kissed his teeth, running splayed fingers through his black and purple hair. It was typical that he'd get saddled with the outcast, but what could he really say? He was the boss around here, so it was only right that he put himself in the line of fire for the good of his troops.

_Saying that, he'd prefer the front line to these shenanigans._

Amy quickly led the confused and embarrassed Jin away to the unoccupied tent, no doubt planning all sorts of dastardly deeds to do with the poor fellow. The Silver Knight had an iron will, but to be perfectly honest a night with the pink-haired chatterbox would crush the resolve of Kanavan's greatest knights and gentlemen. At least he hadn't been thrown into the _worst _situation.

_At least Dio wouldn't talk._

The Highlander took it upon himself to be the last member of the party to enter the relatively warm confines of the heavy leather tents. As low murmurs of conversation radiated from the adjacent covers, Sieghart reached for the entrance to Dio's tent and raised the flap. Two sleeping bags lay neatly on the dried grass, the left-most of the duo being occupied by his silent bunkmate. Dio was awake, yet he appeared to be staring rather intently at the blank wall to his side.

"Hey there." Sieghart waved, forced to curl into a hunch to fit under the low ceiling. His acquaintance didn't register the greeting words, although he couldn't care less to be honest. Removing his thick longcoat, he cast it over his bedding for additional warmth and comfort in the freezing chill of night. The coat had been with him for many a journey; it was like a child's teddy bear to him. He flopped unceremoniously onto his bedspread, stretching and yawning with identical vigour. "_Man_, I'm feeling tired."

Dio didn't respond to that at all. Still he stared at the wall, his expression as blank as usual. Sieghart craned his neck to try and catch a glimpse of his expression in greater detail, only to quickly realise that he didn't really_ care._ Dropping onto his back, he tried his best to find a comfortable position to sleep in. He'd prefer to stay up and chat with someone for a bit first, but the only person he'd at all enjoy speaking to was currently getting his ear chatted off by a loud-mouthed minx.

"He did _what_?!" Amy shouted from across the campsite, only to be silenced by a hasty and nervous whisper from Jin. The two continued their exchange, and for a moment Sieghart wondered just how much Jin liked her. When the two had first met he'd been pretty sure that Jin just admired her good looks; he had to admit that she _did_ look very beautiful. However, he was quite surprised to find his apparent love for her grow over their years together in the Chase.

One day he'd probably say it straight.

_Probably._

"They're being pretty loud." Sieghart sighed to Dio, remaining sprawled out across the mat and taking much more than his half of the tent. His horned acquaintance wasn't making any use of it, so it only made sense that _somebody _took advantage of the situation. "Damn, I've never been that good at sleeping with noise; I can't help but listen to what's being said" the Highlander continued, chuckling to himself in monologue. He could've sworn that he saw a slight nod of the silent man's head, yet it could've just been his imagination. Sieghart shrugged his shoulders and exhaled loudly, retracting his limbs out of respect for Dio's space. "They'd better shut up some time soon, or there'll be hell to pay. They think Gorgos' shoot flames from their mouths? They haven't seen me on a Saturday night, buddy."

_There was no laugh._

_This was so bloody awkward._

The ensuing silence was incredibly painful to go through, and Sieghart knew that Dio was wide awake throughout the entirety of it. Nothing was worse than sitting in a tent with somebody you had absolutely nothing in common with, especially when there was no way you could get to sleep without slamming some pills. Sieghart scratched his ear irritably – he'd conquered ghouls, beasts, and _gods _over hundreds of years yet somehow he couldn't even deal with a basic social situation?

He looked over to his side again – Dio remained motionless. It was funny to think about it, but the horned man's back was probably more expressive than his face. In their time of work together, not once had he seen him crack a smile or make a snarky comment. He hated the sort of people who hung down in the dumps all of the time, even if he was one of them.

_It's called playing face._

"… How about you Dio?" Sieghart asked, turning onto his side and propping his head up onto his hand. The position was uncomfortable and strained his hand to a pins-and-needles inducing degree. "You can't be as bad as me, hell; I was famous in Kanavan for my mornings!"

"_I-I do too…" _Amy whispered quietly – quiet to her standards at least. Sieghart had no idea why she would say something like that, until following a rustle of sleeping bags and the distinct sound of a hand being patted against a back affectionately she spoke again. _"… How long…?"_

_Oh, get in there son!_

_He'd finally gathered the balls to admit it!_

Sieghart was tempted to do a little victory jig under his sheets, yet with the campsite so quiet he didn't want to alert the forming couple to his nosey spying. The campfire had given its last defiant crackle hours ago, and it had to be at least two in the morning at this point. He glanced at Dio to make sure he could hear them too; those pronounced and distinct elf ears were more than sensitive enough.

"It's about time they got together." Sieghart sighed smugly, flopping side-ways like a legless caterpillar to try and hear their mumbles. He'd always expected it to happen eventually, yet no one else seemed to agree with him – Ryan owed him a couple of gacha coins in that regard! Unsurprisingly Dio didn't seem to mind as Sieghart closed the distance, sitting up like a vampire from their coffin to get the best angle.

_Their silhouettes were hugging!_

"_Here comes the bride, here comes the bride!"_

"Man, I'm happy for them." Sieghart chuckled, legitimately proud of the two. His romantic experience was certainly colourful, yet he was the sort who simply couldn't settle down with one girl. Jin was the type with a sense of permanence and loyalty to him, and as much as Amy got on his nerves he _knew _she was the same. He playfully patted Dio's shoulder, wondering if he felt the same way. "_Especially _Jin… I mean come on; time's a wasting and all of that."

"Yes." Dio whimpered, the word slipping out of his perpetually sealed lips. Sieghart had very rarely heard the outsider speak, but he'd heard him enough to get a rough sense of his normal "comfortable" voice. Those slight tips in pitch and pronunciation can tell a lot about someone's feelings, and from what he'd heard…

Dio was _crying_. Not buckets of tears per se – just a slow, constant torrent of heavy droplets. Maybe it was his inner old man yapping, but seeing him in such a state filled him with a strange sense of despair and sympathy.

_Not the kind a captain would usually have with his soldiers._

"Hey, hey…" He paused, a double take prompting a stutter. It's not that he didn't expect Dio to have _some _sort of emotional capability; it's just that he'd never expected the competent warrior to practically bawl his eyes out for reasons unknown to him. "What's wrong there?"

His glimmering and watery eyes darted towards him in surprise; his position compromised. Knowing that it was too late to run, he simply closed his eyes and pulled his sleeping bag over his head with a chorus of pathetically damp sniffles. Dio's horns still peeked from cover, wobbling uncertainly with his shivers and trembles.

"Dio?" Sieghart growled in concern, patting his erratic shoulder again. Part of him wanted to be more affectionate and kind than that, yet the aching chunk of military discipline and rank in his mind was too resilient to come to a compromise. He leant over, wondering if Dio could see his silhouette through the blanket – they were cheap materials, it wouldn't surprise him. "Come on, buddy. What's up?"

"_I've always loved you…" _Jin's distinct voice stated, trying to distance emotion and fact in order to prevent himself from saying something stupid. It was a peculiar ability of the Silver Knight, but it was no doubt an impressive skill – made poker just that little bit harder. "_… I was just afraid you'd say no."_

Dio's fear almost seemed to subside as Sieghart gave his shoulder a friendly, comforting rub. It was the sort of thing he'd usually give a student after he did particularly well in an exercise; he'd never thought he'd have to use it like _this_. The horns slowly grew longer, then gave way to a purple head of hair as Dio awkwardly emerged from cover. Sieghart couldn't help but find it cute – it reminded him of his little brother so many centuries ago; his dead, now elderly brother. Dio stared past his superior, too nervous to maintain eye contact."… Home."

"Home?" Sieghart repeated, his palm lingering in place. He tilted his head to try and grab Dio's eyes, yet after a couple of hasty dodges he gave up on such a foolish pursuit. "What about it?"

Dio sat up heavily, his height matching his superior's considerably lanky frame. After a painful moment he tugged onto his sleeping bag, once again trying to shield himself in his exposed state. He sighed, glancing at Sieghart's hand – he did nothing to move it."… _Home…_"

"The Burning Canyon?" Sieghart inferred, prompting a nod. While it certainly didn't sound like the most welcoming joint around, home was home regardless of its state. The Burning Canyon may have been a land of hellfire and brimstone, or it may've been a vibrant metropolis way in advance of Bermesiah's city states, but to Dio it would always be home. "Man, I forgot how long you've been gone from there…" Sieghart's grip tightened in a way he hoped was supportive. He was doing his best to treat the man like his gender prescribed, but he really only knew how to be sensitive with _women. _"I know what it's like, you know."

"Y-You do?" Dio stuttered, his usually dull eyes finally gaining some life to them. They shot out to stare at him, glowing with a powerful magenta. Sieghart gulped at the fury of Dio's gaze – he almost looked happy, eternally curious as to what stories the Highlander had to offer. He could feel his chest bumping, anxiously trying to send him a message he didn't want to read.

_Heart, don't be doing that now._

"Gets to me all the time." The Highlander chuckled, trying to will his grip to falter. Despite his demands his hand instead lowered, slithering down Dio's arm and making for his one humane hand – it looked almost childlike in its whiteness, and felt just as soft. "It's not what it's cut out to be; living forever."

"I miss my family…" Dio mumbled, clenching his jaw. It must've been the touch of his commander's hand that made his gritted teeth slacken, his sharp features becoming soft and innocent once more. "I miss the sky, I miss… I miss the _air_…"

"Yeah." Sieghart sighed lightly, sounding almost absentminded with his airy voice. While the Kanavan he'd returned to after six centuries of battle was certainly the place he'd once called home, the city state had evolved tremendously over the course of the years. As hard as he tried to fit in, Kanavan wasn't the same proud nation that he had been brought up in – or died fighting for. "Same."

"… I-I never thought you'd be like me…" The man of the Burning Canyon gasped softly, his hand trembling despite the surrounding warmth of the Highlander. He didn't know if it was an autonomous action or not, but he responded by bringing his _other _hand up – two palms wrapped around one. ."… But you are…" he continued, staring at Seighart's chest to avoid the lure of his eyes. The lightest of blushes could easily be picked up on Dio's pale skin, so it wasn't too challenging to spot his reddened cheeks.

"Likewise, buddy." Sieghart chuckled, flashing a charismatic grin. As confident as he seemed externally, he was legitimately concerned with what he was feeling at the moment – quickened pulse, lack of breath, a strange tingly feeling in the back of his head.

_Come on now Sieg, you're a man! _

_You like curvy, sweet smelling, gentle voiced girls!_

… _You did once, at least. _

"… I-I don't like those two that much." The magenta-eyed foreigner whispered gently, turning his head and blowing out his cheeks like a grumpy little boy. It was a tad bit creepy, but for some reason whenever his horns twitched he seemed to resemble an innocent little kitten wiggling his fuzzy-wuzzy ears. After a moment Dio looked upwards to meet Sieghart's stare, noticing that he was gazing at his horns. "… They're not very nice."

The Highlander didn't actually spot Dio tilting his head, giving him an easier view of the offending pair. He was probably oblivious to the cultural significance of Dio's horns, and equally as oblivious to the embarrassed smile of flattery that the horned man gave him. Sieghart lifted his chin proudly, throwing down yet another nervous chuckle to hide his anxiety. "Bah, that's just their way of talking. Don't let it get to you."

Dio's second hand – a peculiar claw named "the Rake", emerged from under the covers and entered the party of fingers. The splayed claw easily grasped onto both of Sieghart's considerably large hands; despite its threatening look, it felt warm and welcoming. Dio managed to glance through his fringe, the bright sparkle of his irises glowing through his darker shades of hair."… But you're nice…"

"Am I?" Sieghart asked, the tables of embarrassment finally taking a turn against him. He shouldn't have been enjoying this, but for some god-forsaken reason he was – Dio's company had become calming, almost _serene_ since their conversation had begun. The Highlander would've scratched his nose to come across as casual, yet his fists were too busy mingling in Dio's friendly aura of respect. "Man, what people are _you _used to? Heh…"

"You've looked out for me…" Dio smiled, his claws gently caressing and stroking at his superiors hands in a way best described as "affectionate". The Highlander had to admit; it felt strangely satisfying, as if an itch he'd just noticed was being quelled with skilled means. That final yapping line of resistance begged him to pull his hands away from the horned man's embrace, yet such complaints had fallen behind deaf ears. Dio loosened his grip, before firmly squeezing Sieghart's palms. "I've never had someone look out for me before."

"Well, we're buddies now aren't we?" Sieghart insisted, licking his dried lips out of nervous habit. They were both soldiers thrown onto the same boat after being cast away from their respective homes - of _course _he'd look out for him, like any other ally. "Gotta watch eachother's backs, you know? I'm sure you'd do the same for me."

_He simply stared into his eyes._

"Mmm." Dio purred, slowing his stroking fingers with expert precision. Sieghart had never been a very good reader of eyes, but he was certainly versed enough after half a millennia to tell apart a neutral gaze to an emotive one. It must've been that gentle glimmer of white amongst a powerful pink background, but something in Dio's eyes connoted a lot more than simple respect for the chain of command. It couldn't have been his imagination - Dio's horns seemed larger, his skin more fresh, his features more shaped.

_His eyes were hungry for love._

_In reflection, the Highlander's eyes were just the same._

"… Say Dio, could you… E-Ease your grip a bit…?" Sieghart suddenly sputtered, pulling out from an alien situation. Reluctantly he reared his arms, trying to break free from the bliss of sensations his palms and fingertips had been experiencing for the past while.

Within a blink's time Dio's mood seemed to change, his eyes shrinking to the nervous dullness he'd had prior to this charade. The foreigner yanked his hands back and hid them under his covers, no doubt realising the possible repercussions of trying to court your _superior officer_. _"_… Y-Yeah."

The two slipped under their sleeping bags wordlessly, the homely and welcome auras from before melting away to casual indifference. Sieghart awkwardly turned away, staring at the blank material of the tent wall before him - anything that would keep his gaze from _him._

_"I'm glad you told me." _Amy sniffled from across the campsite, the pair of silhouettes having disappeared in the plunging darkness. There was a loud rustle of heavy-duty fabrics as sleeping bags were thrown about and adjusted, before Amy spoke once more in a wistful tone. _ "I'm glad I'm not alone."_

_You and me both._

_It was bloody freezing._

Sieghart rolled onto his side with a huff, noticing a pair of pale arms emerging from the adjacent duvet. Dio eyed him awkwardly, having hoped that the veteran was fast asleep and vulnerable to a quick snuggle. Wriggling his nose for a moment, Sieghart slowly fidgeted towards the younger man and let him do as he pleased. Five minutes later the horned foreigner fast asleep, gently rising and falling with his breaths as he clutched on to his superior for warmth and companionship.

_What could he say? It was an excuse._

X

Heavy feet shuffled drearily with the rising sun, the incessant desire to sleep stabbing violently at the back of skulls like a cloaked schemer on a more psychotic day. Jin hadn't actually had a wink of sleep all night, having spent the past hours whispering comforting words to a sobbing young lady. Rest assured Amy was better now - if she was tired she wasn't showing any signs of it, bobbing around the dead campfire and collecting bowls with a jolly whistle following her every move.

"Not like Sieghart to oversleep." Jin said randomly, prodding at the charcoal and ash before him. That was a complete and total lie, but he couldn't think of anything else to really say. Amy tipped her head back mid-skip, speaking between musical hums.

"He'll be out in a minute." She cooed, sticking her tongue at the Silver Knight teasingly. It was strange how she'd bounced back from the night before, having been bawling her eyes out in joy barely hours ago. You couldn't even _tell _that she'd been crying, the air around her was just too jolly. The temptress rubbed her hands deviously, plotting what today's breakfast experiment would consist of. Giggling at the man's reddened cheeks, she cocked a leg childishly. "Jin, be a dear and get me some mossy rocks."

_And he thought that sea-food was bad._

"Not now, please." Sieghart grumbled groggily. With a heavy ruffle his tent flap opened, the silhouette of the tall Highlander emerging with what appeared to be an extra set of legs and a second head. As light finally shone on him, the pure black converted into a palette of pinks and purples - Dio seemed to be clinging onto him like an overly affectionate girlfriend.

_And he was smiling_?

"Give me a minute..." the Highlander yawned, attempting to stretch only to recall that half of his body was being covered by an affectionate man from another realm. Glancing between the two confused Chasers before him, he lazily scratched at his thick head of hair before shuffling past - companion still in tow. "... Give me two."

As the peculiar pair disappeared into the undergrowth, Amy couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. It was cheeky of her, but she was always up for a fresh round of gossip; this looked like hot off the press _gold._ Placing her hand onto the Silver Knight's broad shoulder, she glanced at the ominous looking tent they'd spawned from. "What happened in there?"

Jin shrugged after a moments hesitation, reaching for a pebble and examining its underside.

_Something unexpected, no doubt._

X

_(A/N): Uggggh..._

_... No point in making my usual comments here, since people know exactly what I tend to say! xD_

_Hopefully someone enjoyed this out there. It kind of got lost around 1/5 of the way in ._._


End file.
